Blog:Getting into a Twizy

Cars like the Nissan Leaf are one way to go. With this product development strategy, the starting point is to create a conventional car but one that is electric battery powered. A laudable objective in principle. But it's quite a challenge for the engineers and ends up, inevitably, being a fairly expensive bit of kit that comes with a degree of range anxiety. In a sense, such EVs are hampered by fighting for customer attention on the same ground as very capable (and increasingly so) conventional IC engine B- and C-segment cars. Even customers who voice interest in EVs may have second thoughts due to price when it comes to actually signing up.

Another approach is to go ground up with something much more radical as a transportation concept – the Opel RAKe or the Renault Twizy for example. A 'glorified golf buggy' like the Twizy may be much cheaper to do and may also come with acceptable performance in urban areas. It might even be seen as a 'cool' accessory for young Generation Y types who are attracted to personalisation and high tech. I just wonder if something affordable like the Twizy might stumble upon a sizeable market. However, the line could be very thin between a car like that being seen as either weird/silly or cool/desirable/forward looking though.

The short films available on YouTube showing Toyota's Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell being made are well worth a look (as noted by previous blog). The Motomachi plant in Toyota City is churning out three Mi...